


Zero

by silvertortoise



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 14:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1821172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertortoise/pseuds/silvertortoise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky always believed that he'd die before meeting his soul mate. Turns out, he had a lot of hell to live through first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zero

**Author's Note:**

> A drabble response to the prompt:
> 
> "In a universe where everyone is born with numbers on their wrists counting down to when they’ll meet their soulmate, send me 00:00:00 for my muses reaction to their numbers hitting zero when they meet yours."

He’d always thought that he’d be buried with numbers still counting down on his skin.

Even after all the memory wipes, and injuries, the freezes and thaws, the brainwashing, the punishments, the kills… He’d still tug aside the leather covering the inside of his right wrist and stare at the numbers. Thank goodness the arm that had been replaced was the left one, or he’d have been fucked. Who really knew if this thing worked, anyway?

\- - - - -

The most ironic thing was that when he was a boy, the numbers had been huge - showing that the date would be  _decades_  in the future, and he’d wanted to smash something - for who would want to wait that long to meet their soulmate? It wasn’t fair, it  _couldn’t_  be fair… He wouldn’t be one of those people who ended up alone… right?

He dated many pretty girls, kissed a few boys, and slept with just a couple of them. None of them were the one.

When he’d seen the numbers on Steve’s arm (after the little punk had showed his skinny wrist one rainy afternoon, blushing heavily as he did so), he realized that his best friend would get to meet the love of his life much, much sooner that Bucky ever would.

When Bucky met Peggy Carter, and realized how smitten Rogers was with her, he was 100% certain that she was the long-awaited partner for Steve. Surely. He never saw her wrist, but there was no doubt in his mind. His stomach had turned at the thought, picturing the two of them together - laughing together, doing on dates, getting married, having kids…

_"I’m with you til the end of the line…"_  That’s what he’d told Steve when they were friends, and he’d meant it; the words had been practically sewn into his heart. But now maybe Steve didn’t need that anymore - he would be with Peggy, and that would be that.

It hurt, and maybe that’s why he and Steve grew apart for a while. But also, maybe that’s why he was willing to give his life to protect Captain America on that train. When he fell, the last thing he saw was Steve’s face, heard his own scream mingled with the Captain’s cry of agony - and then it was just the freezing plummet, the jarring crash, the rush of white oblivion.

Later there would be pain and blood and then more pain.

Later, Captain America would be put into an accidental deep freeze, causing his clock to stop at nearly zero. He’d missed his chance with Peggy.

\- - - - -

When Bucky woke up after the first freeze, sickness shook his limbs uncontrollably as he wheezed and tried not to throw up. Turns out, it ended up always being like that. Then, each time, he’d glance at his wrist, noticing that the deep freeze would not stop the clock. Time had marched on while he slept. He couldn’t remember exactly why, but the thought always filled him with a numbing horror. Then they’d put the leather on him and he’d forget about the numbers until the next time.

\- - - - -

It had been so long - he couldn’t remember how much time had passed - and the number was nearly down to zero.  _Maybe I’ll die before it runs out…_  That was the most common thought.  _The Winter Soldier does not love._  That was the second.

\- - - - -

He was punching someone, again and again and again until their blood and tears were smeared across the metal of his uninjured arm. God, they were so broken already, but he couldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t…

_"… cuz I’m w-with you… til the end of the line."_

He stopped.

An explosion rattled his very bones, and the man he’d been tearing apart a moment before was flung down into the water. 

The numbers on his wrist ran down to zero.

Without another thought, he flung himself off of the burning aircraft, after the fallen man.


End file.
